Institute of National Remembrance ω Commission for the Prosecutions of Crimes against the Polish Nation (IPN) continued its mission in the period covered by the report and conveyed to the citizens the knowledge about the tragic (both in national as well as individual dimensions) social and political events and processes between 1939-1989 when the Polish Nation suffered inhuman crimes of National Socialist and Communist systems. Implementing its mission, the Institute was not involved in political arguments and interests. Results of its work are to strictly serve the truth, freedom and remembrance, and, thus, the long-term interests of the Polish Nation and Polish State. This, however, does not imply that the Institute is free from public political assessments - no public institution is and should be. The assessments often refer to the mission of the Institute.
In the consecutive year of its work the Instituteωs structure proves to be efficient with regard to complex research and elaboration of the past. Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation constitutes an inherent part of the structure, whose role grows in the context of attempts to establish Center against Expulsions in Berlin.

With regard to the activities of the Institute in the period between July 2002 and June 2003 the following facts should be emphasized:
1. The Institute reasonably and economically managed the financial means from the State Budget, which are insufficient for its ends.
2. The Institute accumulated a majority of the archival record groups (ca. 97%) that constituted its statutory resources. Where necessary the Institute secured the documents against biological or mechanical degradation. The Institute has been working to consciously elaborate the accumulated documents. It also has carried out the process of making available the records produced by the Polish Security Services before 1990. The time of accessing the documents by the repressed people has been reduced from a dozen months to a few months time. This was possible because the majority of the documents and files (registers) had been taken over.
3. In July 2003 the Instituteωs prosecutors of the Divisional Commissions of Prosecution conducted 1,180 investigations, including 225 cases of Nazi crimes, 877 cases of Communist crimes and 78 in other war crimes or crimes against humanity.
4. After three years of its activity the Institute constituted the most important research center with regard to history of totalitarian systems on Polish territory. The Institute successfully contributed several significant scientific conferences, six publication series, and two periodicals. The Institute has been efficiently carrying out research programs that focus on important historic events or phenomena between 1939 ω 1989 [List of Persons Sentenced to Death Penalty 1944-1956; Marshal Law ω 20 Years Later; War and Occupation 1939-1945; Extermination of Jews by Nazis in Poland; Repressions and Social Resistance]. The Institute closely co-operated with the main Polish research centers.
5. The Institute has become a reliable and vital element of historical and patriotic education of Polish youth.
6. In its activities the Institute provided support for combatantsω circles and offered a forum for other organizations of soldiers and veterans of the WWII and those who fought for independence as well as members of democratic opposition in the post-war period.
7. The Institute continued co-operation with its counterparts in other countries (Czech Republic, Israel, Lithuania, Germany, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, and the USA). Where no counterpart institutions have been established, the Institute co-operated with historians and archivists from Russia, Ukraine, Switzerland and Sweden. The Instituteωs prosecutors co-operated closely with the German Center for Prosecution of Nazi Crimes in Ludwigsburg, with the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Department of Justice of the USA. The Instituteωs prosecutors co-operated, within the framework of legal assistance, with prosecutors from Germany, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, the USA, Canada, Israel, and Great Britain. In the search of truth the Institute has become a vital element of the reconciliation of the Polish Nation with German, Russian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Belarussian and Jewish nations.
8. The Legal Office of IPN played an essential role in the Instituteωs work and provided not only legal assistance but carried out numerous administrative proceedings, chiefly with regard to implementation of Article 4 paragraph 1 clause 4 of the Act of 24th January 1991 on combatants and persons who are victims of war and post-war repressions. In those cases 60 decisions of first instance and 17 decisions of second instance were issued. What is worth mentioning is the fact that the in the period covered by the report the Supreme Administrative Court rejected all the complaints on IPNωs decisions issued by the Institute in the second instance.

The Council of the Institute of National Remembrance, which is the second statutory body of IPN, had 21 sittings in the period where the issues regarding all areas of the Instituteωs activities, with particular emphasis on archival branch, were discussed. Having in mind the necessity of finalizing the process of taking over documents from their current disposers, the Council holds meetings with representatives of the Internal Security Agency, Intelligence Agency, Border Security Guards, Military Intelligence Services and with the director of Central Military Archives.
In July 2002 Professor Leon Kieres, the President of the Institute of National Remembrance, established the Grzegorz Jakubowski Award - Curator of National Remembrance. It is awarded to any person for outstanding deeds commemorating the Polish Nationωs history between 1939-1989, as well as public activity converging with statutory aims of the Institute. Candidates can be put nominated by institutions - public and scientific organizations as well as by private persons. The laureate of the honorable award receives the title of Curator of National Remembrance. The award is granted by the Chapter presided over by the President of IPN. In 2002 the Chapter announced the following laureates: Colonel Professor Elωbieta Zawadzka, Professor Tomasz Strzꢯsz, and Andrzej Zag󲳫i. In 2003 the laureates were: Professor Janusz Kazimierz Zawodny, the Commission of History of Women Struggling for Independence, and Underground Poland Project.

Budget of the Institute
The management of the Instituteωs budget has been decentralized since 2002 and is managed by both the headquarters and in the 10 branches of IPN. The decentralization rendered the management of the budget more efficient. The decentralization does not refer to the Warsaw branch, whose expenses are managed by the Instituteωs headquarters. This results from the fact that the two bodies share buildings and expenses on renovation, IT programs, etc.
In 2002 the Institute used 98.87% of the budget spending 82,477 PLN, which comprises 98.87% with regard to the amount of expenses in 2001.
The reduction of budget funds for 2002 by 20,000 PLN, including 15,000 fixed asset costs (decreased by 47.45% in comparison with 2001), deferred the deadlines of investments regarding the archiveωs elaboration for the year 2003. Meanwhile, in 2003, the Instituteωs project budget was reduced by 13,120 PLN, including 7,500 thousand for investment and renovation, which had prolonged the period of investmentsω realization.
In 2002 an average gross salary including payments from the Instituteωs bonus funds was 3,212 PLN (or 2,815 excluding the salaries of the prosecutors), which gave 2.77 % increase with regard to the previous year. The increase is a result of a larger number of persons who were entitled to one additional salary in a year (in 2001 ω 168,000 PLN, in 2002 ω 2,377 PLN). Yet without the additional salary payments the average gross salary decreased in 2002 (3,031 PLN and 2,659 PLN excluding the salaries of the prosecutors) which resulted from the change in employment structure (the relative decrease of the number of prosecutors employed in the Institute with regard to the general employeesω number). It is worth mentioning that the salary of prosecutors (the average salary raised from 6,729 PLN in 2001 to 7 408 PLN in 2002, a 10.09% increase) is fixed in the budgetary act for a given year (basis amount) as well as in the Council of Ministersω regulation on the basic rates of the prosecutorωs gross salary (multiplier of the amount.) The Institute has no influence on the level of the amount.
In 2002 the average number of full-time posts in the Institute was 1,098. With reference to 2001 (804 full-time posts) it gave a 36.6% increase. The archival branch of IPN increased employment most significantly due to intensification of elaboration and dissemination of archival records. In the second half of 2002 the Instituteωs employment rate stabilized. On December 31, 2002 the employment (full-time posts) amounted to 1,189 and on June 30, 2003 to 1,184. Researchers and office staff constitute the biggest number of employees: 84.8%.
The Act on the Institute of National Remembrance - Commission for the Prosecutions of Crimes against the Polish Nation as well as the regulations of archival law, building regulations, fire-protection regulations, law on the protection of classified information, and the rules on archival documentation adapted by the Instituteωs Council determined the necessary investment costs. Buildings taken over in 2000 by the Institute form the Treasury were significantly de-capitalized and inadequate for the new functions. Therefore, the buildings required modernization and adaptation.
In the budgetary act for 2002 of the fixed asset funds were reduced by 20 million PLN which slowed down the process of document elaboration, limited educational activities (exhibitions, seminars, trainings, and publishing projects), and delayed the adaptation and renovation work in the Instituteωs buildings.
The budgetary act for 2002 determined the fixed assets expenses at the amount of 10,000 PLN (8,800 PLN investment expenses and 1,200 PLN for investment purchases). With regard to the project (by the decision of both chambers of the Parliament) the funds for investment were reduced by 7,500 PLN. Thus, the Szczecin, Koszalin, Gorz󷬠Olsztyn and Opole IPN branches will not be able to undertake all their tasks.
The problem of transferring the property - buildings belonging to ωRuchω S.A company on 28 Towarowa Street in Warsaw - by the Minister of Treasury and placing the property in trust of the Institute remains unsolved. The agreement between the Minister of Treasury and the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration signed on 5th October 2000 constitutes the legal basis for the transfer.
The activity of the Gospodarstwo Pomocnicze Company has been focused on publishing and selling the Instituteωs publications. In 2002 the Company had 255,000 PLN income and in the first half of 2003 ω 156,000 PLN.

Prosecution of Crimes
The prosecutors of the Instituteωs Commission continued previous investigations as well as launched new investigations in recently revealed crimes committed between September 1, 1939 and December 31, 1989. The notion of crime against the Polish Nation embraces the Nazi crimes, Communist crimes, crimes against peace, humanity and war crimes committed on persons of Polish nationality ω disregarding the place of crime, as well as crimes committed on persons of other nationalities, provided the crimes had been committed on the territory of Polish State.
Polish prosecutors, similarly to the Czech and German ones, prosecute only the deeds which at the moment of the commitment were forbidden by binding criminal law at the time. At that time, like it is today, it was forbidden, according to Polish law and UN conventions ratified in Poland, to physically abuse people during investigations, to sentence them on the basis of not biding law, or to be in charge of mass repressions and associations showing traits of criminal character within the frames of state structures.
The investigation in Nazi, Communist and war crimes cases, is launched by the Instituteωs prosecutors both ex officio, based on data gathered by the prosecutors with assistance of history experts, as well as on the basis of information on committing a crime which had been placed by repressed persons, witnesses and other entities. According to the rule of legalism, the prosecutor issues a decision of launching on investigation in all cases where the screening justifies legal qualification of the crime as legitimate to be prosecuted by the Instituteωs Commission.
By the end of the period covered by the report, i.e. in June 2003, the prosecutors of IPN Divisional Commissions conducted 1,180 investigations, including 225 cases of Nazi crimes, 877 cases of Communist crimes and 78 cases of other crimes (war crimes and crimes against humanity).
Although in the post-war period almost five thousand perpetrators of Nazi crimes were sentenced in Poland, a few thousand investigations launched by the former Commission for Research of Nazi Crimes in Poland, which had been transferred to German authorities with the motion of continuation, were never finalized. The IPN prosecutors have been analyzing the files regarding the proceedings and successively applied to the German Central Office for the Prosecution of Socio-National Crimes of Ludwigsburg for sending the final decisions of the German prosecution. The majority of the cases were discontinued by the German prosecutors for to lack of detection of the perpetrator, impossibility to identify their residence or the death of the perpetrator. In a number of cases the German prosecutorsω decisions of discontinuation were based on a different judicial qualification of the criminal accusation than those applied by the Instituteωs prosecutors. It particularly concerns crimes on civil population committed by the Wehrmacht soldiers in September 1939, which the German prosecutors qualified (with only a few exceptions) not as war crimes but as an activity complying with the 1907 Hague Convention regarding fighting against guerillas.
The investigations of Nazi crimes are likely to result in charges brought against the living perpetrators in individual cases. The legal proceeding in the case of Bohdan Kozij is the most far gone. Kozij was a Ukrainian policeman at German services, and in 1943 he committed crimes on Polish citizens of Jewish nationality in ωysiec (currently in Ukraine).
The Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation launched a procedure of requesting German Federal Republic Supreme Court to indicate the relevant German public prosecutorsω offices which shall confirm the null and void status of unlawful sentences of Polish citizens pronounced by the German courts.
Investigation in the case of murder of Polish citizens of Jewish nationality on 10th July 1941 in Jedwabne, which gained a lot of public interest, was brought to an end. Currently, the public shows an increasing interest in the investigation regarding deportation of 20 thousand inhabitants of the ωywiec territory.
With regard to the Katy񠍡ssacre an analysis of currently binding legal system in Russia was carried out and the legal aspects of expected outcome of the investigation carried out by the Chief Military Prosecutorωs Office in Moscow was defined.
Sentences in Communist crimes regarding cases of the period between 1939- 1956 referred chiefly to the Security Service officers who were accused of torturing the suspects charged with political offenses. The conviction of criminal responsibility of this category of perpetrators consolidated in the Polish judicial system. However, the indictments issued by the IPN prosecutors regarding Stalinist judges and prosecutors, who were perpetrators of judicial crimes, did not meet a similar reception. In one of the rulings the Supreme Court ω Military Chamber ω issued a statement that said an order of a superior excludes the criminal responsibility of a military prosecutor who claimed death penalty constituting an act of judicial murder. The termination raised in this case by the Director of IPN Commission for the Prosecutions of Crimes against the Polish Nation, showing that in the Polish legal system an order is not considered to be a circumstance excluding unlawfulness of deliberate murder was dismissed. It is worth mentioning that one invalid verdict had been pronounced, sentencing the Stalinist judge to two years imprisonment for pronouncing unlawful sentence to many years imprisonment for dissemination of ωhostile propaganda.ω
In the cases of Communist crimes committed after 1956 an indictment against former officers of Security Services, who tortured opponents during investigations in the period of Marshal Law, was issued.
Particularly important, in terms of law and history, are the investigations regarding crimes against humanity, including investigations in the cases of Ukrainian nationalists in Woωy񠤵ring the World War II. In light of the evidence, including statements of thousands of witnesses, the crimes are assumed to be part of the ethnic cleansing of the Polish population, which justifies its legal qualification as genocide.
In the period covered by the report in all investigations the IPN prosecutors interrogated, either directly or as by means of legal assistance, 9,830 witnesses. With regard to the statement that the Instituteωs prosecutors had too often asked for legal assistance to the public prosecutorωs offices, they were instructed to minimize this practice.
The service of the Instituteωs prosecutors differs from the public prosecutorωs service. The specificity of IPN prosecutors work requires recognition of the historical context of the prosecuted crime, as well as knowledge of the law and jurisdiction binding at the time. In some cases it is necessary to interrogate a few hundred witnesses, which is a laborious process of identifying their personal data, and whereabouts, as well as interrogating ω often in the place of residence. Significant part of the cases must be regarded as similar, taking into account the range of the trial procedure, to investigations in organized crimes case and economic cases carried out by the prosecutors of appellate and district offices. It results from the fact that the mechanisms of the crime, which need to be reconstructed, were complex and the number of repressed persons, perpetrators, and persons involved in the crime was high. Moreover, the crimes ω in the criminological perspective ω constitute ωcriminality of stateω, i.e. the crimes were committed in the name of the state and its officials. The IPN prosecutors are obliged to make numerous and laborious archival queries in the state, army and government departmentsω archival resources. Predominantly, the prosecutors carry out investigations independent of Police services with regard to defining data relevant for the investigated case. Incomparably more often than other prosecutors the IPN prosecutors need assistance of judicial institutions and other institutions abroad with regard to gathering the evidence. The files of closed cases include from a dozen up to a few hundred volumes.
The historical evidence of the discontinued investigations, gathered by the IPN prosecutors, often comprise essential historical data, e.g.: testimony of witnesses who had never been interrogated before, which can be used for scientific purposes or for journalistic ends.
In many cases the interrogated witnesses express their satisfaction resulting from the legal qualification of the crime adapted by the IPN prosecutors. The testimony in the prosecutorωs office is often the only possibility for the witnesses to preserve their experiences from the past, which in many cases were traumatic life experiences. Investigations, which for various reasons do not end by bringing indictments against the perpetrators of crimes, gained a name of ωhistorical investigationsω that partly renders their character and goals.
The Director of the Chief Commission and the IPN prosecutors presented the Instituteωs investigative branch and its activities on scientific conferences organized by the Institute.

Preservation and Dissemination of Documents
The task of preserving and disseminating records produced by Polish and foreign state security organs in the years 1939-1989 stems from the constitutional duty of the state authorities described in articles 61 and 51 of the Polish basic law. According to these provisions as well as provisions coming from the statute on the Institute of National Remembrance ω Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation, the Institute must also take into account demands imposed by the law on the protection of classified information, personal data and protection of persons and their possessions. These tasks are carried out by the archival department of the Institute which consists of the Office of Preservation and Dissemination of Archival Documents, branch offices of preservation and dissemination of archival documents as well as preservation and dissemination units in the Instituteωs delegations. On June 30, 2003, 496 archivists were employed at the archival department of the Institute (493,5 permanent posts, inluding 179 archivists in the Office of Preservation and Dissemination of Archival Records (178 permanent posts). Seventeen archivists have a Ph.D. degree, and 2 have assistant professor degrees.
On June 30, 2003, the Instituteωs archives amounted to 77,858,94 meters of acts: 28,028.85 meters of which (36%) were accumulated in the Office of Preservation and Dissemination of Archival Records and 49,830.49 meters (64%) in nine branch offices of the Institute. In comparison with the last year when on June 30, 2002, the Instituteωs archives ware 46,722.08 meters of acts, it increased by 31,136.86 meters (by 67%). The state archive resources on 31 December, 2002, ware 231,759.8 meters of acts, and in comparison with December 31, 2001 it increased by 6,868 meters of acts. The Instituteωs resources constitute 1/3 of the state archives resources, which have been gathered for a few centuries.
The archival resources had increased significantly during the period covered by the report. The process of gathering files, which the Office of Preservation and Dissemination of Archival Records started in the second half of 2000 and in the branch offices in 2001, came to an end. The majority of the units in the archival department of the Institute reached the envisaged content level that had been planned in 2000 with regard to the estimated data provided by the institutions preserving the files of security services. From the three years perspective it is clear that the terminal resources capacity of the Institute files had been corrected ω and will not amount to 95 km but ca. 78-80 km. It resulted from an overestimation of the seize of archival resources of the police and army forces. One thousand five hundred to two thousand meters of acts (including registers) remains to be taken over.
The Institute planned to obtain 6,400 meters of acts. With regard to the agreement of 16th April 2002 between the Chief Director of State Archives and the President of the Institute of National Remembrance the process of taking over the archival resources was limited at the beginning to archival documents of district court archives, military district prosecutorωs office and Polish Railways military courts. The seize of a single archival group comprises in general a few or a few dozen meters of acts for each organizational units of the Institutes. On 30th June 2003 the Institute obtained of more than 345 meters of acts from the state archives.
The takeover of documents from the following archives was finalized: the Internal Security Agency, the Intelligence Agency, the Military Information Services, the units subordinate to Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration and to the Ministry of Justice. Also documents from most of the military archival resources were obtained (including Archives of Ministry of National Defense, Central Military Archives, Archives of the Air and Air Defense Forces, and Archives of Navy).
The state security servicesω documents taken over within the period covered by the report are chiefly operational files including personal files and files regarding work of the collaborators, documents regarding contact spots and conspiracy places, files of the operational de-conspiracy, documents about ωanti-stateω actions, espionage, and sabotage. Personal files of the former Security Office, Security Service and Militia agents (till 1954), civil servants and professional soldiers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as documents of the subordinate bodies of the ministry, which are not operational and personal files constitute an essential part of the documents. The resources include documents depicting the following socio-political changes: Pozna񠭠June 1956; March 1968; Events on the Coast in December 1970; Radom and Ursus in 1976; origin of ωSolidarnoω攻 Marshal Law; and repressions against democratic opposition. Some files were taken over in the form of microfilms. In the groups of military documents the majority comprises operational materials produced by Polish Army Information, Board of the Second General Headquarters of Polish Army, and Military Internal Services.
In accordance with the Act on the Institute of 18th December 1998 Article 39 the documents registered by the heads of the Internal Security Agency, the Intelligence Agency and the Military Information Services constitute a separate secret document group with restricted accessibility. The documents are accessible only to persons assigned by the heads of Internal Security Agency, Intelligence Agency or the Minister of National Defense. The regulation does not limit access of courts (in inspection process) or the Public Interest Ombudsman.
The final takeover of the archival resources of the Internal Security Agency and the Intelligence Agency takes place in the storerooms of the Institute of National Remembrance, where secured boxes are being opened in the presence of representatives of the Internal Security Agency and the Intelligence Agency. This constitutes the final element of the acquisition of the Security Office and Security Service documents. An insufficient number of Internal Security Agency representatives is the main problem at this stage of the process. The number of opened boxes depends on the character of the documents, or with regard to operational files, on the completeness of the document group. Scrupulous checking of the filesω content is especially important in the case of secret collaborators files, where the envelopes with declaration of cooperation are often empty. What renders the process of opening the boxes even more laborious is inaccurateness of content lists and inexactness of page order in loose files. In the period covered by the report 21,648 boxes taken over from the Internal Security Agency and Police were opened. The opening should take place five times a week and not once or twice a week. The process is expected to be finalized in June 2004.
The majority of documents taken from the courts and prosecutorωs offices involve political cases of the 70s and 80s, since most of the cases from the earlier period had been seized by the Chief Commission for the Examination of Crimes against the Polish Nation. The majority of the documents taken from the Penitentiary Service are penitentiary files of persons repressed for political reasons in the 80s.
A small part of the resources are documents donated by private persons (mainly recollections and reports concerning Nazi and Communist repression). In comparison with the period covered by the previous report, the current work of the Office of Preservation and Dissemination of Archival Documents is focused on ordering the received files. In the first place the Office had been arranging the documents frequently requested by repressed persons, and documents required for scientific, judicial and financial (e.g. pension) purposes. The passport files database had been increased by 265,252 Access records and 374,174 Excel records. The Office segregated, paginated the files, ordered the content and registered the groups of Nazi documents.
The character of the collected records requires not only technical examination of the files, but also a review of the files (provided the previous owner did not do it) with regard to Article 86 ω 2 items 1 and 2 of the Act of 22nd January 1999 on protection of classified information; after 36 months from the implementation of the law the documents which had not been reviewed become open except the documents responding with criteria defined in Article 25 ω 2 items 1 and 2 of the Act. For instance: In the period covered by the report one section (six people) in the Office marked with appropriate clauses 5,778 archival document units.
Realization of a single case often requires to make a query of a dozen or a few dozens of archival units. In each case the results must be reliable.
The collected archival items are almost entirely documents made of acid paper, which deteriorates over time. Therefore, many items require conservation due to mechanical damages and progressive brittleness of the paper. The results of research show that microbiological contamination of the collected files was caused by improper former storing.
In February 2003 a project on the streamlining of the Instituteωs audiovisual documentation (including preservation and dissemination of documents) has been launched.
Showing the historical truth about the security services in the Peopleωs Poland stems from the legal duties of the Institute. Disclosing the security apparatus documents to the repressed persons is one form of realizing the duties. The content of the files of security services is revealed in two following cases: to persons who apply for it by means of filling in the application form on disclosing archival records or by carrying out a query on the status of repressed persons, which stems for the statutory responsibilities of IPN.
The first applications were accepted on 7th February 2001 and until 30th June 2003, 13,517 persons had requested to access ωtheirω files of security services. Out of that number 2167 persons provided proper written requests. The interest in security services files depends on historical conditions. In Warsaw the number of requests was the highest ω 2,467. Relatively many applications were submitted in the Pozna񬠋atowice, Gda񳫠and Krak󷠉PN Branch Offices. During the period the Instituteωs archival branch realized 3,079 requests: 1,241 persons out of that number were classified as repressed on the basis of documents of the Institute and on the basis of the law, and 1,612 persons were classified as not repressed due to the lack of confidential and purposeful documents produced by secret security services. In the case of 229 persons the Institute issued documents stating that they cooperated with the secret security organs. In the period from 1st of July 2002 till 30th of June 2003 the Office of Preservation and Dissemination of Archival Documents together with its branches issued 4,716 archival units for 1,208 persons recognized as repressed in the light of Article 6 of the Act on the Institute.
The repressed persons are informed about possibilities to access the documents which were found in the Instituteωs archival resources. The Institute pursues to issue original documents. The copies of documentations are issued ω in accordance with Article 31 ω 3 of the Act on the Institute ω with no personal data of other repressed persons mentioned in the documents, including personal data of officers and informers of state secret security services. The blackened names of officers and informers of state security services in the documents are substituted by numbers. The repressed person can study the selected records in the IPN premises. All documents regarding the particular person are issued, with no limitation as to the period of its origin; although the Institute has no influence on the completeness of the documentation. The archival records are issued in the form they were originally produced in the former secret security services.
If a repressed person demands this, copies of documentation and names of employees, collaborators and officials are issued (with an exception of the persons had informed about the common crimes) [Article 32 ω 2 of the Act on the Institute]. The names of officers and collaborators of the security service are issued only on the condition that the Institute can undoubtedly certify their identity (Article 32 ω 1 of the Act). In the period discussed 345 persons requested to give more detailed information about officers, employees and collaborators of Polish Peopleωs Republic security services. In reply, 112 notes with the data were issued. A note consists of names of the officers, employees and collaborators ω relevant to the blackened names in the documents issued.
In the case when an employee, collaborator or an officer of the security apparatus submits a proper request together with a statement of co-operation with the state security organs, they are informed (on the basis of Article 35 ω 2 of the Act on the Institute ) about documents concerning them that are in possession of the Institute. However, those people have no access to the documentation. They can receive (on the basis of Article 35 ω 1 of the Act on the Institute) copies of the employment certificates or of official opinions concerning their service. In the period under discussion the Institute issued 54 certificates on employment, service or co-operation with the state secret service to officers, employees or collaborators of the former state security organs.
Apart from realizing personal requests for documentation, the Institute grants access to its archival records for scientific ends. In the period discussed 28,237 requests for documents from natural and legal persons were submitted to the Office of Preservation and Dissemination of Archival Documents. In total 31,618 replies were issued. The number of archival queries at the time amounted to 161,576. (A reply is a result of a thorough query of the Instituteωs archival resources.)
One thousand seven hundred ten requests to access documentation for scientific purposes were submitted in the period covered by the report. A majority of them, 799, were issues by natural persons; Seven hundred sixty seven requests were submitted by the employees of the research branch of the Institute with regard to their research projects; 144 requests were issued by institutions e.g. Polish TV, foreign TV stations, press, and publishing offices.
The archival documents are studied in the open and non-open reading rooms of the Instituteωs archival branch (17,479 archival units) or are lent to individual organizations of the Institute and institutions such as the Internal Security Agency, courts, public prosecutorωs offices, Public Interest Ombudsman, and local governments (1,520 archival units). In the period 55,419 archival units were issued in the reading rooms of the Office for Preservation and Dissemination of Archival Documents and its local branches; 2,522 persons visited the reading rooms 6,787 times. One thousand five hundred twenty archival units were lent to the outside of the Institute.
In the period under discussion 10,814 thematic queries were carried out for the following organizations: Public Interest Ombudsman ω concerning repatriation (for Archives of New Acts, natural persons, Karta Center); Internal Security Agency; the prosecutors; and researchers of the Institute.

Education and Research
In the period covered by the report the educational projects and research were carried out in accordance with the ωAgenda for Public Education Officeω approved by the Instituteωs Council. The Agenda included nation-wide and regional programs realized by the main office and local branches of Public Education Office (PEO). The following nation-wide programs were carried out: List of Persons Sentenced for Death Penalty 1944-1956; Conspiracy and Resistance in Poland 1944-1956; Biographical Dictionary; Marshal Law ω 20 Years Ago; War and Occupation 1939-1945; Repressions against Peasant Movement in 1944-1989; Extermination of Jews by Nazis in Poland; and Repression Apparatus and Social Resistance 1944-1989.
The Office of Public Education organized or co-organized dozens of conferences and scientific sessions. The sessions or panel discussions often accompanied exhibitions in the Institute in Warsaw and in its local branches. The versified subjects of the conferences resulted from the main directions of interest of the Public Education Office and ω in the case of scientific sessions ωsocial demand and educational goals of the Institute (e.g. anniversaries, local ceremonies).
The most significant conferences were ωResistance to the Totalitarian Systems in Wilno Region during the II World Warω (Warsaw); ωRepressions against Clergy of Christian Churches in the Stalinist Time in the Countries of the Eastern Blockω (Katowice); ωAction Reinhardt ω Extermination of Jews in the General Governor Regionω (Lublin); ωRepressions against Peasant Movement in 1944-1956ω (Rzesz󷩻 ωTrial of Cracow Curiaω (Krak󷩻 ωMarch 1968ω (Warsaw); and ωPast which Separated. Extermination of Polish Population on Woly񠡮d Eastern Galicia in 1943-1945ω (Wrocωaw).

Almost three hundred scientific publications and more than two hundred popular scientific publications (books, articles, and critical reviews) were written by the employees of the Public Education Office until June 2003. Two issues of the Instituteωs scientific periodical ωRemembrance and Justiceω (nr. 2 and nr. 3), which include articles, critical reviews and elaborations by employees of PEO, were issued. The leading subjects of the periodicals were: the Polish Underground State (nr.2), and research on the security apparatus in the Polish Peopleωs Republic (nr. 3).
Employees of PEO co-operate with scientific institutions in Poland (Polish Academy of Sciences - Institute of History and Institute of Political Studies; most of Polish universities) and with combatant organizations. It results in active participation of the Instituteωs researchers in numerous conferences and scientific symposia.
Within the body of the program ωList of Persons Sentenced to Death Penalty in 1944-1956ω the PEO employees determined that in 1944-1956 various military courts had sentenced to death almost 5,600 persons, and in half of the cases the sentence had been executed. The total number of names of persons who had died in prisons and prison arrests amounts to 25 thousand persons (majority in 1945-1950) ω the number included prisoners of war. The Instituteωs web site shows the list of 3,500 names of persons sentenced to death by the military district courts, which operated on the territory of Poland between 1946-1955. Parallel, a group of historians, prepared almost 30 reports of persons sentenced to death.
Within the framework of ωBiographical Dictionary: Conspiracy and Resistance in Poland in 1944-1956ω the second volume ωConspiracy and Resistance in Poland in 1944-1956ω was edited. The dictionary is being published in the Dutch system (each volume from A to Z), and the 2nd volume includes 150 personal notes with detailed references on 30 sheets (660 pages).
Within the body of the program ωMarshal Law ω 20 Years Agoω the two-year long work of 16 historians from the Institute resulted in a book Marshal Law in Poland 1981-1983 based on source query in all regions of Poland. Eight hundred pages monograph includes an introduction and eleven chapters devoted to particular regions of Poland.
Within the framework of ωWar and Occupation 1939-1945ω scientific sessions on informative activity (e.g. publishing, documentation, and propaganda) of Home Army and Country Delegation of the Government and on the security organs of the Underground Polish State were prepared. In spring 2003 work on monograph of Country Delegation of the Government was finalized as the first thorough Polish elaboration of the history of secret civil administration. In the period under discussion work on the National Unity Council ω the parliament of Polish Underground State - has started. Parallel, publishing process of several volumes of reports sent to Polish Government in London by the Delegate is being carried out.
In the framework of ωExtermination of Jews on Polish Territoryω two-volume work ωJedwabneω (Wok󳠊edwabnego) had been published. It presents results of scientific research of 13 researchers describing the crimes on Polish Jews in Jedwabne, Radziω󷠡nd other towns of the ωomωa district and the western part of the Biaωystok district in July 1941. The first volume (526 pages) includes nine exhaustive studies of the crime in Jedwabne and the historical background. The second volume, with 1035 pages, includes 440 documents illustrating the origin, circumstances and course of the crimes in Jedwabne and Radziω󷮠In the period under discussion works on the monograph ωωegota. Polish-Jewish Relations during the II World Warω were carried out.
The biggest scientific endeavor since mid 2002, ωRepression Apparatus and Social Resistance in 1944-1989ω consisting of four main projects, which are realized by researchers from all units of Public Education Office, Structure and Methods of Polish Peopleωs Republic Security Apparatus is realized as the first project. The first phase, finished in fall 2003, focused on reference book on management staff in the Security Office on local level between 1944-1956. The research also aimed at the description of operational work methods. Four books on the subject had already been started. The second project is Security Apparatus Fighting Against Political and Military Underground in 1944-1956. In the discussed period the following books on the subject had been published in the Institute: Youth in Social Resistance in 1944-1989 and Independence Insurgent Units in Krakow District (1944-1989). Currently Atlas of Polish Independence Underground 1944-1956 is being prepared. The work will include maps illustrating activity of various underground organizations in particular regions of Poland. Research on independence underground are carried out on locals level in regional units of the Office of Public Education by researchers from IPN and other institutions. The third subject is Security Apparatus Fighting against the Church and Freedom of Belief, and within the subject IPN prepared the book Methods of Operational Work of Security Apparatus with Regard to the Church and Religious Organizations in 1944-1989. Individual research were carried out concerning various problems of anti-Church repressions. The work resulted in publishing in the first part of 2003 of elaborations: ωCatholic Church in Poland (1945-1989)ω by Jan ωaryn and ωCommunists and Church in Polandω by Antoni Dudek and Ryszard Gryz. The subject of Catholic Church suppression by the Communist regime was discussed in several sessions and scientific conferences. Collection of articles with attached documents ωRepressions against Catholic Church in Lower Silesia and Opole District in 1945-1989ω and proceedings of international conference ωRepressions against Clergy of Christian Church in Stalinist Time in Eastern Block Countriesω are being currently edited by the PEO in Wrocωaw. Finally, the fourth project deals with the Polish Peopleωs Republic Authorities with regard to social crises and democratic opposition between 1956-1989. The project aims at defining and analyzing the reactions of the government on periodically occurring social crises and reconstructing the anti-system opposition history, particularly the methods of persecution used by Security Services and other special services.
Within the framework of the program ωIndex of the Repressedω the Institute supervises the realization of subvention to the Foundation of Karta Center. The Program ωIndex of the Repressedω is the most essential initiative in Poland, which aims at specifying all the names and lots of Polish citizens who had been repressed by the USSR. The Index was created in 1988. The undertaking was initiated by Eastern Archives ω at the time operating as a social movement. Currently, the data about the victims of Soviet repressions ω the murdered, the imprisoned, or the displaced ω are gathered in the computer data base ωIndex of the Repressedω (at the end of December 2002 it amounted to 676 thousand records).
Equally important is the Instituteωs educational history program carried out by the Department of Exhibition and Historic Education of Public Education Office. The program embraces the following elements: (1) exhibitions about history with accompanying lectures and lessons in museums; (2) competitions for students, teachers and others; (3) co-operation with schools and teachers; (4) professional training for teachers of history, social sciences and Polish language, and (5) cooperation with other organizations interested in dissemination of historic knowledge: radio, TV, press, local authorities, museums, and combatant organizations.
The Office of Public Educationωs main partner is the Ministry of National Education and Sport. Within the framework of the agreement of 2001, in the school year 2002-2003, the Minister of National Education and Sport had the honor patronage over the historic competition ωPolish Society towards German and Soviet Occupation 1939-1945ω. Attitudes. Daily life.ω
Series of IPN Educational Portfolios are prepared for school teachers of history, social sciences and Polish language. They enrich the content of regular curriculum with the results of recent research. The Portfolios provide detailed description of an issue, the bibliography, additional references, and sources (including visual ones). Therefore, they constitute an essential component in teaching modern history of Poland. During the period between July 2002 and June 2003 the following Portfolios were issued: Polish-Ukrainian Relations in 1939-1947; June 1956 ω a Step Towards Freedom; Marshal Law; in 2003: The Primate Wyszy񳫩; Polish Underground State. Part I; and Auschwitz, which was prepared in co-operation with National Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Last year 16 new exhibitions were presented. The most significant were ωMarch 1968ω; ωAktion Reinhardt - Extermination of Jews in General Governor Regionω; ωChildhood in Wartime. Polish Children under German Occupationω; and ωEvery day life in Occupied Wielkopolska 1939-1945.ω Exhibitions from previous years have been still shown. The possibilities of organizing exhibitions are strictly limited by the budget. The limitations of the financial means restrict possibilities of organizing new exhibitions, as well as preserving and showing the old ones.
The Institute continues cooperation with a dozen Polish universities. Respective agreements have been signed with the following universities: Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Warsaw University, Silesian University, Wrocωaw University, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Maria Curie-Skωodowska University, Catholic University of Lublin, and Gda񳫠University. Cooperation with universities results in co-organization of exhibitions, scientific conferences, panel discussions, seminars and workshops for teachers, as well as in participation of the university academics in the board of the historic contests that are organized by the Instituteωs Public Education Office. The Institute, in cooperation with Marie Curie-Skωodowska University, carries out post- graduate studies for school teachers ω ωKnowledge about State and Society 1939-1945.ω For history teachers who want to professionally upgrade, IPN and Jagiellonian University organize post-graduate studies.
Cooperation with local authorities has been continued and broaded. In the period under discussion the cooperation agreement with the President of Katowice was signed, and similar agreements are under discussion. In order to familiarize the representatives of local societies with the modern history of their ωSmall Homelands,ω the Institute, together with the local authorities, organized historic conferences and series of lectures. Interestingly, some of the actions are addressed to the whole local community and to all school circles which are under local authority supervision.
Almost 40 documentaries and documental programs were prepared in co-operation with the Institute. The productions gained mostly positive press reviews and were highly appreciated outside the Institute. On 4th of November 2002 an official agreement ωAgreement on co-operation between IPN and Polskie Radio S.A.ω with Polish radio was finalized. Moreover, almost all radio programs produced in cooperation with the local Polish radio stations gained very positive opinions.
Press and periodicals willingly publish texts of the Instituteωs scientists, prosecutors, and archivists, and readily inform the readers about the Instituteωs work. The following news press played a special role in this respect: Rzeczpospolita, Gazeta Wyborcza, Nasz Dziennik, Tygodnik Powszechny, Wprost, Tygodnik Solidarnoω欠Gazeta Polska, and Polska Zbrojna, as well as the following periodicals: Arcana, Krytyka Polityczna, Wi꟬ and M󷩡 Wieki. The Institute expertsω statements regarding the modern history of Poland and the Instituteωs work were published in the most prestigious foreign periodicals and magazines: New York Times, Der Spiegel, Svenska Dagbladet, Los Angeles Times, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, and Suddeutsche Zeitung.
A significant outcome of the cooperation between the Institute and combatant circles is the effective activity of the Historical Club of General Stefan ωGrotω Rowecki. The club comprises not only combatants but also repressed people, youth associated with scouts training units, historians and teachers. The main goal of the Club is to dissiminate information about most recent results of historical research as well as investigations conducted by the IPN.
Recommendation no. R (2000) 13 of the Committee of Ministers to members States on a European policy on access to archives, adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 13 July 2000 takes into account the increasing interest of the public for history. The Council of Europe stresses that ωa country does not become fully democratic until each one of its inhabitants has the possibility of knowing in an objective manner the elements of their historyω and recognizes ωthe wish of historians to study and civil society to better understand the complexity of the historical process in general, and of that of the twentieth century in particularω.
One can not mistake forgiveness with trivialization of guilt. Democracy and rule of law can not be built on denying responsibility and guilt. According to experts the democratic political culture requires strengthening of trust among the citizens who are willing and capable to responsibly and constantly support and defend values such as justice and respect of law and public institutions. The Institute of National Remembrance has served and will serve those values.